Improvement in machines for skiving and splitting leather



ZSheQVtS--Siieeth P. D. CUMMNGS.

Machines for Skiving and Splitting Leather.

N0. 137,183, t PatentedMarch 25,1873.

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l P. D. CUMMINGS. Machines for Skiving and Splitting Leather. No.

Patented March 25, i873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PEELEY D. CUMMINGs, OE PORTLAND, MAINE, AssIeNoE To THE sHOE- MACHINERY MANUFACTURING COMPANY OE CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR SKIVING AND SPLITTING LEATHER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,1S3, dated .March 25, i873.

To all whom it may concern:

l Be it known that I, PERLEY D. CUMMINes, of Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented an Improved Machine for Skiving and Splitting Leather; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection With the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to the general organization and specific details of construction of a machine for splitting and skiving leather.

In my machine I use a rotary disk knife or cutter, the edge of which stands in or nearly in a horizontal plane, the knife being supported upon a rotating spindle, and its upper surface being in or nearly in the plane of the top of a table that surrounds or partially surrounds the knife.

For skiving I use on one side of the knife a tipping-guide, pivoted to turn upon an axial center, in line with which center is an adj nstable edge-guide, having an Overhanging arm which forms the gage for determining the thickness of the skived edge; this gage being adj ustable vertically, and there being beneath it a yielding plate for permitting the irregularly-thick skiving to pass under the knife, the

top of the cutter being also adjustable to vary the Width or angle of the skived edge. This arrangement constitutes one feature of my invention.

For splitting leather I use a pair of feedrolls of a length somewhat greater than the piece or strip to be split, one or both of these rolls being driven by suitable beltin g and gearing connection, and the rolls forming the chord of an arc of the knife-edge.

Over the edge in front of the rolls is a hin ged gage-bar, and under it is a series of horizontal springs extending at right angles to the rolls rotate, the leather will be split, the top split being drawn through the rolls, and the bottom one pressing down the springs and passing under the knife.

By these means very thin and uniform splits may be rapidly out, and the arrangement of the feeding, gaging, and yielding devices constitutes another part of the invention.

Theupper surface of the knife, as has already been stated, is in a plane with or near the plane of the upper surface of the table, and the under surface adjacent to the edge must, therefore, of course, be inclined. To keep the edge ground a grinder or emery-cylinder is placed under the table, said cylinder being on an inclined shaft and having a reciprocating motion, and the shaft being adjustable so that the surface of the cylinder may be moved up to bring itinto contact with the edge of the knife. The cylinder being then rotated and reciprocated While the knife is rotating, the edge of the knife may be sharpened and set, and may readily be kept uniformly keen. The provision for grinding or sharpening the edge constitutes another feature of my invention.

The drawing represents a machine embodying my invention.

Figure l shows a plan of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side view of it. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 4. is a section on the line x x.

a denotes the frame of the machine; b, a table at the top of the frame. c d are bearings, in which is journaled a vertical or approximately vertical shaft or spindle, e, having npon its upper end the disk-knife f. The knife is set with its upper and flat surface in or just above the plane of the table-top, and its spindle may be rotated by a friction-wheel, g, the face of which is in contact with a friction-pulley, h, on thespindle e, the wheel g being fixed on a driving-shaft, t. k denotes the tippingplate for presenting leather to be skived at its edge. VFrom this plate extends up an edgeguide, Z, the inner side of which forms the guide against which the stock is held as it is pressed up to the cutting-edge. The plate turns on an axial center in the line of the angle of the plate k and the guide Z, so that the the depth of cnt at the edge is determined at the guide, at whatever angle the plate 7c may the upper surface of the knife, gages the thickness left upon the edge of the leather. This arm is made adjustable as to height by a screw, o, and nut p, or by other suitable means. As the thickness of the stock varies, the plate 7c is provided with a spring or yielding` bedpiece, x, and the piece, trimmed from the stock, runs under the knife over the front edge of this spring. To split a skin, or a strip of leather or skin, the gage-bar q is set as seen in the drawing. This bar sets a little over an extent of the edge of the cutter equal to its length, and over the inner and free ends of a series of springs, i, whose outer ends are fast. The under surface of the gage-bar is at a distance above the cutting-edge equal to the thickness to be split off from the skin, and the springs (which stand normally in the plane of the cutting-edge) yield to permit all of the skin in excess of such thickness to pass beneath the cutter. The gage-bar may be made to swing up for convenience in entering the skin, and when'swung down is held by suitable bolts or pins. Just inside of the gage-bar is a pair of feed or draw rolls, s t, and the skin to be split passes under the bar and under the feed-rolls, and thence up and between the rolls, so that as the rolls turn 'they draw the skin to the action of the cutting-edge of the rotary knife, the top or gaged split passing through the rolls and the under split passing under the knife. The rolls may be geared together, and the pressure of the upper one, or its relation to the lower one, may be regulated by screws u. The lower roll may be driven by a band extending around a pulley, o, on the roll-shaft, and another pulley, w, on the drivin g-shaft.

The sharpening mechanism is as follows: a2 denotes a lap or emery roll, splined to and turning with a shaft, b2, that rotates in ad justable bearings c2, the shaft carrying a roll, e2, which may be driven by frictional contact with the periphery of a wheel, f2, on the end of the driving-shaft. The shaft b2 carries a sliding sleeve, g2, having a spline, h2, that enters a groove in a stationary piece, i2, to keep the shaft from turning, and to one endof this sleeve is fastened the grinder-cylinder. At the other end of the sleeve is a fork, 7a2, that straddles the edge of a cam-wheel or inclined disk-wheel, Z2, on a shaft, m2, (rotating'in suitable bearings,) which shaft may carry a wheel, a2, driven by frictional contact with a frictionwheel, o2, on the driving-shaft. By these connections the grinder-cylinder is better rotated and reciprocated. The shaft b2 sets at an angle with the upper face of the knife, and by adjustmcnt of the bearings of the shaft the upper surface of the grinder-cylinder is brought into contact with the under surface of the wheel-edge, so that as the cutter rotates and simultaneous rotation is imparted to the reciprocating grinder, the edge of the cutter is quickly brought to the requisite sharpness, or may be kept continually keen and sharp by keeping the grinder in position.

I claim- 1. The combination of the horizontal diskknife at the top of the rotary spindle, the table b, and the pivoted or tipping plate 7c, the plate having the edge-guide with its gage n, and

the yielding bed-spring x, all substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with the disk knife mounted and rotating as described, the gage bar q, bed-springs fr, and feed or draw rolls s t, substantially as shown and described.

3. In combination with the disk-knife mounted and rotating as described, the rotating and reciprocating sharpening roll or cylinder, arranged and operating substantially as described.

Executed this 29th day of January, A. D. 1873.

PERLEY D. OUMMINGS.

W'itnesses:

EDWARD B. CUMMINes, WM. S. EDWARDS. 

